"In the hard market, people from an older generation come with knowledge of good times and times when they've been through a hard market and come back out of it," says independent agent Maggie Landry. "That’s always nice to hear about because sometimes, you're like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is never-ending.’"
Maggie Landry
Director of Personal Lines
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Age: 35
Go-to drink order: Pepsi
No. 1 item on bucket list: Go to every single Disney park in the world
Favorite candy: A Snickers egg
What do you love about insurance?
You have knowledge about something that everyone needs to have, but something most people don't understand. You're able to explain things. You protect people's livelihoods. I also love that insurance is ever-changing. There's always something new to learn, there's always a challenge. It's super exciting for me.
Mentorship as chair-elect of the state young agent committee?
I am very excited about stepping into a mentorship role with the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Louisiana Young Agents Committee (IIABL YAC). We have a lot of new people on our committee, and a lot of them are young women. We just had our IIABL board meeting, and two of the gentlemen who are on the state board have daughters coming into their agencies. They both asked about someone mentoring them, and I volunteered. I'm looking forward to meeting with them.
Biggest market challenges?
In Louisiana, it's hard to get the message out to consumers that agents are not the ones increasing their premiums by 50%. We're the people talking to customers, getting the phone calls. But we need our legislators to listen to us. We need our government to not be run by trial lawyers. A lot of it is consumer education because tensions and emotions are high. The Big “I" has been super helpful with the Hard Market Toolkit that provides resources to educate the public about what's going on, and IIABL has done such a great job of giving us tools to keep customers informed.
Why did you choose insurance as a career?
I'm a second-generation agent. My mom owns the agency and I grew up in it. When people ask me when I started at the agency, I like to say I started at 5 years old sleeping under my mom's desk. In high school, I used to work summers here as a file clerk. But I fought insurance for a long time. After I got out of college, I took a teaching job, then a coaching job, before finally joining the business. I started as an assistant and didn't get my license for years, but one day I realized I needed to either leave and find something else to do or fully embrace it. So, I got my license, and the rest is history. Eleven years later, I'm still doing it and have come to love it.
Role model or mentor?
My mom, Debra Landry. She has been in the industry for almost 49 years. She started in the industry as a receptionist in this agency, worked her way up, and is now an owner. She tells stories all the time of sitting at tables and being the only woman, having to come in and prove her knowledge and worth. As a young woman coming up in this industry, it's nice to see that someone paved the way for those of us who are trying to do it now. She's so knowledgeable—every day, I learn something from her. I love working with her.
Pros and cons of multiple generations in the workplace?
In the hard market, people from an older generation come with knowledge of good times and times when they've been through a hard market and come back out of it. That's always nice to hear about because sometimes, you're like, 'Oh my gosh, this is never-ending.'
A con is that sometimes people can be stuck in their ways. Sometimes people have done things for 40 years and they don't want to do it a different way. With the ever-changing nature of technology—that can be hard on certain age groups and demographics.
AnneMarie McPherson Spears is IA news editor.
